


less catfishing, more cats

by alison



Category: One Direction (Band), Radio 1 RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cats, Fluff, M/M, Online Dating, Oral Sex, Sexual Content, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-06
Updated: 2014-08-06
Packaged: 2018-02-12 01:57:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2091528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alison/pseuds/alison
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>Nick drops his head back, too tired from a long day at the shop to put up a real fight. “I'd rather you used a crap photo. I'd rather this was a joke.”</em>
</p><p><em>“Nothing funny about this,” Ian mutters seriously, eyes scanning whatever he's written. Probably something along the lines of</em> almost-but-not-quite fit bloke approaching middle age seeks a warm body to curl up to at night, not picky, terribly lonely and sad. </p><p>(Nick's friends sign him up for a dating site against his will. He's going to replace them with cats.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	less catfishing, more cats

**Author's Note:**

  * For [colourexplosion](https://archiveofourown.org/users/colourexplosion/gifts).



> This is ridiculous. I'm so sorry.
> 
> Thank you to my lovely friend for reading it over. You're great, as always.

Nick hates his friends. They're awful people, really, and he doesn't know why he keeps them around at all. He should find new friends, probably. Or maybe he doesn't need friends at all; maybe he should just get half a dozen cats and give up on humans altogether.

He files the option away in the _maybe_ column as he glares at Aimee, Ian, and Matt, all giggling wildly, hunched over his laptop across the room.

“Oh, don't be so grim, Grim,” Aimee sighs as Ian types away next to her. “We picked a nice photo and everything. Loads of boys will be virtually lining up to meet you.”

Nick drops his head back, too tired from a long day at the shop to put up a real fight. “I'd rather you used a crap photo. I'd rather this was a joke.”

“Nothing funny about this,” Ian mutters seriously, eyes scanning whatever he's written. Probably something along the lines of _almost-but-not-quite fit bloke approaching middle age seeks a warm body to curl up to at night, not picky, terribly lonely and sad_.

“Where does one buy a cat?” Nick muses aloud, staring at the ceiling. “Is there discount pricing if you get several?”

“Buying cats in bulk?” Matt asks, a laugh in his voice.

Nick shrugs without looking, wondering how hard it would be to replace Matt and Ian at the shop on short notice. He could fire them and build a new life with his cats and his new employees who don't insist on creating a sodding dating site profile for him just because he hasn't been on a date in six months. Lots of people don't date for six months. It's not the end of the fucking world.

“Do you like amusement parks?” Aimee asks, having taken over typing now. “I'll say yes, you do.”

Nick does, but he grunts anyway, wondering what other things they're saying about him without his approval. Not that it matters. It's not like he's actually going to go on any dates. He's just appeasing them until he can get them out of his flat and hire two new clerks and find a cat superstore. Then he'll delete the profile and live out his life in peaceful solitude.

“All done!” Aimee yells, with one last click. “Would you like to see it?”

Nick sighs heavily, rolling his head to the side. “Not even a little bit, if I'm honest.”

“Fine,” she replies, shutting down his laptop. “But you'd better check your e-mail and respond to any interested suitors.”

Nick reluctantly agrees, if only to get them out of the flat quicker. Of course he's not going to respond to anyone. He has a tiny bit of pride, thank you, and the blokes on those sites are always creepy and usually twice his age.

When he finally gets his friends (not for long) out of his flat, he makes himself a mini pizza and watches cooking shows until his eyelids feel heavy.

In bed, he gets out his phone to check his e-mail, just in case his mum has sent him anything funny or maybe his sister needs a sitter this weekend or the shipment he's expecting at the shop tomorrow is delayed. He always checks his e-mail before bed. He definitely does not care about any messages from creepy and/or old blokes.

He doesn't care, but when he sees that he's received a message, he immediately clicks on it, totally out of curiosity. He has no intention of responding, just wants to see _how_ creepy or old he is.

The little picture next to the user name, thetommo, doesn't look creepy or old at all, but it could be a fake and it really is rather small on his phone screen.

_Hi, saw your profile and uhm, I'm sort of new to this? Not quite sure what to say, but you look normal compared to a lot of the guys on here and basically yeah. I'm 22 and my name is Louis, finishing up uni this year, wait tables part time- but you can see all that on my profile, I guess. So yeah, message me back if you'd like. :)_

Nick bites down on his lip, already surprised by this dating site thing. He'd expected the responses to be cocky or short and impersonal, but this one isn't anything like that. It could just be a cleverly crafted message the bloke has put together to pull people in, but it sounds so real that Nick can't help but feel terrible at the idea of not responding.

He clicks on the bloke's user name to open his profile and the boy in the photo is absolutely gorgeous. Nick thinks it _must_ be a fake, maybe he got it online somewhere and stuck it up there as if it's him. There's no way a boy that beautiful would need to resort to online dating. If he set foot in a club, he'd get picked up in a second.

He turns off his phone after one last look, deciding he'll figure out tomorrow whether or not he'll actually respond.

-

When Nick checks his e-mail again, it's lunchtime and he's eating at the little restaurant across the street from his shop. He's got more responses, but he doesn't even look at them, scrolling down until he gets to the one he read the night before.

It's stupid, he knows it is. He doesn't even care that he's not dating and he sure as fuck doesn't want to date someone from the internet, but he reads through the message twice more before hitting the reply button.

_I've never been on a dating site in my life before yesterday. My friends put together the profile. I should probably make sure they haven't told any outlandish lies about me. They're terrible people, I'm thinking of replacing them with cats. Cats are shit at computers generally._

_I'm not doing well at this at all, am I? Sorry, I have no idea what I'm doing..._

He cringes as he presses send, then immediately locks his phone and tries to pretend he didn't actually just send that ridiculous message. He wonders if he can make a game out of this dating site thing, see how quickly he can scare people off. Could be fun.

He finishes his sandwich, then heads back to work where Matt is sitting behind the counter and a handful of people are aimlessly wandering through the small space, picking up CDs and albums and reading the backs of them.

He plops down on the chair next to Matt's behind the counter and grabs the newspaper, flipping through until he finds the job ads.

“Looking for a new job, Grim?” Matt asks, leaning over to snoop. “I'd have thought you were rather committed to this one, considering you're the owner and all.”

Nick shakes his head slowly without looking up. “Just looking for examples,” he mutters flatly. “Need to replace you lot, so I'll have to run an ad.”

“Ha. Ha,” Matt answers without humour. “Did you even check for responses yet? Don't feel bad if you haven't gotten any. _Someone_ will write you.”

Nick looks up to glare for a moment, keeping his mouth shut, then turns back to the newspaper to see if anyone is looking to unload some free cats.

-

_I had a cat growing up that could open doors so I don't know, they're pretty crafty. I'm not sure I'd trust them._

_So if your friends did the profile, does that mean you're not actually looking to date? Figures that the only person I write to isn't actually looking for anything haha. Did you check for outlandish lies yet? xx_

Nick scans the new message as he drinks a glass of wine, his back aching from putting out the new shipment of CDs and cleaning all afternoon. He can't explain why, but he's intrigued by this person. He hasn't even looked at any other messages from the dating site. He doesn't care, is the thing, doesn't care about dating at all. He just wants to keep talking to this bloke.

First, he checks over his profile to make sure his friends haven't said he's a brain surgeon or a bodybuilder or anything. Surprisingly, it all seems pretty accurate. His age, his job, his hobbies, they all seem to be on point. With a sigh of relief, he goes back to respond to Louis.

_Amazingly enough, my friends appear to have told the truth about me. I figured they must have lied for someone like you to take the time to write me, but it all looks accurate._

_It's not that I'm not looking to date... Except maybe it is. I don't know. I'm single and I'm not against dating, but I haven't really been looking for a few months, which is why my friends did this whole thing in the first place. I guess if I met the right guy, I'd be into it. I just haven't met any “right guys” in a long time._

_Cats are fairly tricky, you're right. But I think they're safer than humans in this case. :)_

As he sends the message, he thinks to himself that he's probably never going to get laid again.

-

_Someone like me, hmm? ;)_

_It's exhausting looking for the “right guy”. That's why I've resorted to internet dating. I'm not looking to settle down and get married or anything, but it would be nice to have something other than a one time fuck, you know? And that's all I seem to be able to manage in real life._

_Are you actually getting cats? Do you know anything about cats??_

Nick reads the message after getting in bed that night, barely buzzed from the wine. He chews on his lip as he reads it again, then immediately goes to respond.

_Someone like you: young, cute, not a total creep. Or maybe you are a creep. I don't know, you don't seem creepy. Are you creepy?_

_I'm not looking to settle down either, but I do like being in a relationship, I must say. The dating part is a pain, but I like getting comfortable with someone. It just hasn't happened in a while._

_Cats are my new plan, yes. I will get many cats so that when I inevitably end up old and sad and alone, I'll at least have my cats. I had one when I was young. Certainly there's not much to know about them. I'll figure it out. Just need to figure out how to procure said cats._

_Christ, I'm the creepy one here, aren't I. I promise I'm less creepy in real life._

Before he can do something mad like suggest a date after only a handful of messages back and forth, he presses send, fully expecting not to hear from Louis again.

He's an actual mess.

-

The next morning, Nick walks into work with two muffins and two coffees, leaving one of each by the register for Ian when he shows up, and taking his own back to the office. His office is tiny and messy and the dim light flickers constantly, but Nick built this store from the ground up and he loves every inch of it. He'd always wanted his career to involve music and there's nothing like owning his own business. He's too stubborn to work for someone else anyway.

He organizes the paperwork for the day, then plugs his headphones into his laptop to listen through the new releases that week as he eats his muffin, making notes as to which songs catch his ear.

Forty-five minutes later, Ian strolls into the small room, coffee in hand. “Thanks for breakfast, mate,” he says, interrupting Nick and prompting him to slide his headphones off. “Forgot to stop on the way.”

“You always do,” Nick points out, “and then you get cranky and irritated by lunch and you snap at customers for asking for Taylor Swift.”

“The whole store is organized alphabetically,” Ian replies loudly, huffing.

Nick lifts his gaze to level Ian with a glare. “She was twelve, Ian. You can't yell at preteens.”

Ian shrugs carelessly and drops down into the chair across from Nick's small desk, kicking his feet up onto it. The store doesn't open for another few minutes, so Nick refrains from telling him to get to fucking work.

“So, have you talked to any eligible young men yet?” Ian asks, sipping from his coffee. “Or old men, I'm not judging.”

“Loads,” Nick replies flatly, turning to his computer screen to avoid eye contact. “I've got four dates lined up today, in fact. Half a dozen tomorrow.”

Nick doesn't have to look to know Ian is rolling his eyes. “When did you get so old and bitter, Grimmy? Used to be out every night, pulling boys left and right. What happened?”

Nick is most certainly not bitter. And he's not _old_ , he's just not eighteen anymore. He can't keep getting pissed every night and hooking up with strangers. It's too exhausting.

Instead of answering, he chooses avoidance. “Fuck off and open up the store, would you?”

Ian gives him a long sigh and mumbles something rude under his breath as he leaves the office, walking out into the store.

With Ian gone and the topic fresh in Nick's mind, he opens his e-mail on his phone. He's not expecting anything from Louis, but there's a message from him and Nick ignores the gentle flip of his stomach as he opens it.

_I don't think I'm creepy. You might be creepy. I guess I'll have to meet you in real life to find out for sure. We could go cat shopping or something haha. That would be an interesting first date._

Nick swallows heavily as he finishes reading, not sure how seriously to take the offer and not sure if he wants it to be serious or not. He's obviously shit at dating via e-mail and he's sure he'd feel more comfortable talking to the lad in person, but there are a lot of factors to consider. He's never done this, gone from talking to someone online to meeting them in person. What if Louis is disappointed? What if _Nick_ is disappointed? What if they hate each other?

He supposes then they'd just go their separate ways and that would be that. It's not like they're committing to anything just because they're meeting.

He takes a few deep breaths before opening up a reply.

_Is that an offer? Because I could definitely use the help in picking out the right cat for me. Hopefully it's easier than finding the “right guy”. ;)_

He sends the message, figuring he's got nothing to lose. Even if Louis laughs in his virtual face, it doesn't matter. He's just characters on a screen at this point.

He checks his e-mail again at lunchtime, finding nothing from Louis. He checks more than he'd like to admit throughout the afternoon and still nothing. It's not until he gets home and settles in for his favourite cake decorating show that he finally checks and sees a response. Nervously, he opens it and reads quickly.

_It's an offer. My best mate got a cat last month at a shelter. Cheaper than going to a pet store and more humane or something. I don't know, he's very adamant that you get your cats from a shelter instead of a store. Anyway, we could get coffee first? Coffee and cats seems like a winning combination._

_This will probably be the oddest first date I've been on..._

_Anyway, I'm free most days, usually work nights. Let me know what works for you. xx_

Nick's mind goes straight to this virtual stranger telling his mate about him and his cats. He's not sure what that means, Louis talking about Nick, but it makes him feel another little stomach flip.

He's being ridiculous, he really is.

_If your mate says it has to be a shelter, then a shelter it is. Coffee sounds great, too. How about Friday afternoon? Should be able to skip out of work after lunch._

_I wish I could say this will be the oddest first date I've ever had, but there's tough competition. Remind me to tell you about the bloke who brought his mum to the restaurant.. :/_

-

After finalizing their plans, they agree to meet at a Starbucks a couple of blocks away from the shelter Louis' friend had recommended. Nick rushes home to change after covering Matt's lunch break, sliding into worn out skinny jeans and a simple casual button-down. Looking in the mirror, he decides it's as good as it's going to get and he grabs his wallet and keys, leaving the flat.

The tube ride is too short for Nick's liking and soon he's rounding the corner, faced with the giant Starbucks logo, his heart beating fast. He has no reason to be nervous, he knows. It's not like he knows this bloke at all; he knows almost nothing about him. He has nothing to prove and if he gets turned down, well, Nick's probably been through worse.

He walks into the coffee shop five minutes early and takes a quick scan of the room. He's seen Louis' photo, has spent more time than he'd like to admit staring at it, but people always look different in real life. Nick isn't actually sure he'll even recognize him.

After looking around and finding no familiar faces, he orders a soy latte and sits at a small table by the window between a young curly-haired boy on his laptop and an older couple. He checks his e-mail to be sure he hasn't missed any _sorry I came to my senses and absolutely will not go on a date with you_ messages and sees nothing new, so he pockets his phone and looks out the window instead.

Only a few minutes later, Nick realizes how silly it was to worry about not recognizing him because he spots him a mile away. Or, at least, several metres. He looks up and his eyes go straight to the boy walking toward the Starbucks door, shorter than Nick expected and with soft brown hair tucked up under a beanie. As soon as the boy glances up, Nick knows without doubt that it's the one he's been exchanging messages. He knows those eyes.

His heart seems to trip over itself as Louis pulls the door open and steps inside, wiping his palms against his hips. Nick's eyes follow the movement and his mouth practically waters at the shape of Louis' body, the curves of his hips and the fullness of his arse, all on display in skin tight black jeans.

When he finally tears his eyes away from that general region, it's been several seconds and Louis' hands have stopped moving. Nick looks up dumbly to find the boy staring back at him, a tiny smirk curling at his lips.

Pulling himself together, Nick smiles warmly as if hasn't just finished ogling his arse. He suspects it's something Louis gets often enough anyway.

As Louis walks toward him, Nick stands, the difference in height becoming more and more noticeable.

“Guess I made a good first impression then,” he says, charmingly cocky.

Nick grins in response, already loving his attitude. It hadn't really really come across in text form. “If I was picking you up in a club, maybe,” Nick answers, glad he can be a bit sarcastic. “But this is a proper date. Cats and all. A great bum will only get you so far.”

Louis' smirk widens, his eyes sparkling with happiness and a touch of mischief. “Oh, I think it'll get me pretty far,” he says, then glances down at the table where Nick's drink is sitting. “Probably far enough for you to go get me one of those. Wait, what is that?”

“Soy latte,” Nick answers, already reaching into his back pocket to fish out his wallet.

Louis' face contorts into a look of mild disgust and Nick is ashamed at how endeared he is by it. “God, you're one of those,” he mutters, just loudly enough to be clearly heard. “No, I'll take a normal drink, thank you. Caramel latte, extra whipped cream, nothing soy.”

Nick rolls his eyes over a smile, but nods his understanding before walking toward the counter, taking one last look at Louis' bum before he sits in the seat across from Nick's, pulling out his phone. He's probably going to text his friend with the cat something like _UGH he drinks soy lattes_ but Nick just smiles as he steps up to the counter and orders his drink, asking for extra caramel just because he's a gentleman.

-

Half an hour into the date, their drinks almost finished, Nick decides that this is going better than he could have hoped. He has no idea why, but they're far more comfortable with each other than two people in this situation should be. They're comfortable enough to tease each other, to bicker over things like music and food, which they do almost constantly, smiling at each other through the words.

Louis intrigues Nick in a way no boy has done in a long, long time. He hides his laughter behind his hand, fiddles with the strands of hair falling out of his beanie, bites his lip when he's listening. He gets quiet when he talks about his family and loud when he talks about his friends. Nick sort of wishes he could just sit and study him all night.

“So, explain the cat thing,” Louis finally says, dropping his empty mug down after his last sip. “Why cats?”

Nick huffs out a dry laugh, circling the rim of his own mug with the tip of his finger as he thinks. “You know that stereotype of sad middle-aged women with loads of cats? I figured I may as well go ahead and get a head start on that.” He shrugs, smiling a bit at the boy listening across from him. “No one forces people like that into internet dating. They're lost causes.”

Louis narrows his eyes, leaning forward and resting his elbows against the table. “So cats are your excuse to not date?”

“Suppose so, something like that,” Nick answers with another small shrug.

Smirking, Louis reaches out and playfully flicks the back of Nick's hand, then rolls his eyes. “Do I actually need to point out the irony of us going cat shopping while _on a date_? Honestly, you're not very bright, are you?”

Nick feels a strange urge to kiss him all of a sudden, to swallow that little smirk and take his breath away. It's weird, feeling that after so little time, and Nick buries the feeling, cheeks flaming red at the thought.

“Well, once I have my cats, I'll have an excuse not to call you back,” he answers with a mischievous smile.

Louis rolls his eyes and Nick can tell it's something he does often, like an instinct. “Like I'd call you first anyway,” he says, but Nick sees the pink tint spreading over the apples of his cheeks.

Nick feels it again, wants so badly to lean across the table and press his mouth against Louis', wants to know how he tastes. He feels it curl in his belly, white hot attraction and something like fondness all rolled into one. It makes no sense, but Nick will blame it on the fact that he hasn't had sex in months. That's all it is.

He realizes he's been staring for a long moment when Louis starts to fidget in his chair, looking away with a blush still spreading over his skin. Coughing, he shakes himself back into the moment and fiddles with his mug.

“Should we head down to the shelter then? Not sure when they close.”

Louis agrees and when they walk out, Nick holds the door open for him, properly chivalrous. He can't remember the last time he did something like that.

They walk mostly in silence, but when they cross the road, Nick's hand finds the small of Louis' back, guiding him protectively past the cars. Louis doesn't shake him away like Nick expects him to; instead, he inches a bit closer to Nick's body.

He doesn't take his hand away for two blocks, not until they're walking into the shelter.

-

The problem in shopping for a cat with someone like Louis is that Nick spends more time looking at the boy than the cats. The cats are cute, sure, and Nick pets them through the bars of the cages, laughing when they flop around inside, soaking up the attention. They're cute, but Louis is most definitely cuter.

Walking around the room with cages all around them, it's the perfect time to properly check Louis out. While he's busy cooing over the kittens batting at his fingers, Nick absently pets a white cat's head, his gaze pointed across the room, skimming down Louis' back and tracing the beautiful curved lines of his body.

The bum is incredible, but it's not just the bum. He's got strong thighs that make Nick swallow hard when he thinks of how they'd feel wrapped around his waist. He has a narrow waist that Nick's fingers are itching to hold. He has small, delicate hands and amazing cheekbones and those bright blue eyes that knock the wind out of Nick.

He's infatuated already and that's possibly the worst thing that could have come out of this date. He didn't want any expectations, but now, if they say goodbye and never speak again, Nick is going to be horribly disappointed.

“Hey, look at this one,” Louis calls, glancing back at Nick and shaking him out of his daze.

Nick apologetically removes his fingers from the white cat's cage and crosses the room to step up next to Louis. He's petting a fluffy brown kitten who's playfully biting his fingers in the process. He looks at the card on the kitten's cage and sees that it's a girl who was found in an alley right after she was born.

“She's cute, isn't she?” Louis asks, smiling as the kitten trips over her feet in excitement, then starts batting at Louis' fingers, squirming where she's lying on her back.

“She's very cute,” Nick answers, moving closer to Louis as he watches. “She seems to like you. Maybe _you_ should adopt her.”

Louis laughs dryly, shaking his head. “My building doesn't allow them. Besides, I have two flatmates and they might kill me if I bring home a kitten.”

Nick hums thoughtfully and feels his heart beat heavier in his chest as he moves right up behind Louis, dropping his head down to speak softly over his ear. “Maybe if I adopt her you'll have a reason to stop by,” he says, feeling reckless with how much he's showing. He's usually much better at playing hard to get.

Nick drops his hands to rest lightly over the boy's hips, waiting for a sign that he should back off, but Louis just goes still, the kitten nipping at his fingers when they stop moving. As he takes a deep breath, he leans back just enough for Nick to notice, just enough for him to know he's not pushing too far.

“I thought you might be a creep,” Louis says quietly, eliciting a soft chuckle from Nick. “I really did, I thought you might be some creepy man prowling the internet for cute younger blokes, but a voice in the back of my head kept saying that wasn't it.”

Nick waits patiently, fingers carefully still against Louis' hips as the boy pauses for a moment, then finally speaks again.

“I like you more in person than I thought I would. In a weird way, it feels like I've known you for a long time.”

Nick smiles as he breathes out heavily, relieved. He dips his head and presses a light kiss to Louis' shoulder, squeezing his hips gently. “It does feel that way, doesn't it? So, really, it would be completely acceptable if you came home with me.” He says it like a joke, but he can't deny that a part of him really wants Louis to come home with him. Even though it's three in the afternoon and Nick really does want to see him again, he still wants him today, now. Patience has never been his strong suit.

Louis turns around, earning a disgruntled meow from the kitten as he shifts his attention from her to Nick, looking up into his eyes, feigning horror. “What kind of boy do you think I am?”

Nick just smiles and leans in quickly to peck his cheek, the skin impossibly soft under his lips. “That's what I plan on finding out.”

Louis drops the act and Nick spots a blush coming to his cheeks even as he shakes his head, rolling his eyes again. “You're awful. Are you going to get a cat or aren't you?” He looks away as he says it, scanning the cat cages and obviously trying to change the subject. Nick is undeterred though.

“I think I might not,” he says casually, tickling Louis' side gently before taking a step back. “I think maybe I don't want an excuse not to date anymore.”

Louis snaps his head back to look at Nick, eyebrows raised. “Oh, yeah?”

Nick shrugs, taking a step toward a row of cages and running his fingers over the metal. It smells in the room and Nick can imagine what his flat would smell like if he were to go through with his plan of getting loads of cats. Maybe he's more of a fish kind of guy after all.

“Not sure. What do you think?” He bites down on the corner of his lip and lifts his head to look at Louis, hoping the boy understands what he's asking.

Louis seems to ponder the question, pursing his lips as he looks around the room. Nick can't believe someone like this is actually here with him, on a date at a bloody _cat shelter_. He's here and he said he likes Nick and it's so bizarre. Louis was the only one Nick spoke to from that stupid site and he said Nick was the only one _he'd_ spoken to and now they're standing in a room surrounded by cats and it doesn't even feel weird. It really is like they've known each other for a long time.

“Maybe you should wait,” Louis finally answers, nodding his head as he pets the same kitten from before. “I think you should wait.”

Nick grins, feeling for the first time in a long time like maybe he's about to start something new and exciting. For once, the idea of dating doesn't sound so terrible.

“Then I'll wait,” he agrees, then reaches out for Louis' hand, pulling him toward the middle of the room.

Louis lets himself be pulled in and Nick slips his arms around the boy's waist, smiling down at pretty blue eyes and gorgeous cheekbones.

“So,” Nick says slowly, giving him a little squeeze. “Sure you don't want to come back to mine?” He lifts his eyebrows suggestively for comic relief, laughing when Louis pushes him away with mock disgust.

“You wish,” Louis scoffs, turning for the exit. “Besides, I have to get to work soon. But if you walk me there like a gentleman, you might get a kiss out of it.”

“Hmmm,” Nick says, pretending to consider it. “With tongue?”

He's expecting Louis to roll his eyes again or tell him to sod off, but instead he grins wolfishly, one hand on the doorknob. “What other kind is there?”

Nick bites down on his lip as he follows the boy out of the room and toward the front door. They wave apologetically at the front desk clerk on their way out, stepping onto the busy pavement.

It's a nice day for London, only a few clouds scattered across the sky, and Nick follows as Louis leads him toward his work, a restaurant where he waits tables. Nick asks him questions the whole way, answering the ones Louis returns to him. He makes Louis laugh a couple of times and the sound makes Nick grin in turn, his elbow bumping against Louis' and their hands grazing past one another.

When they arrive at the restaurant, Louis tugs him back against the brick building, away from the passing pedestrians, and they kiss long and slow in the shadows of the setting sun.

And, as with everything else about Louis, Nick is not disappointed in the slightest.

-

Two weeks and three dates later, Nick is even more pathetically infatuated. It starts to show, apparently, because when he's working on the shipment paperwork before closing up, Matt eyes him suspiciously and asks him why he's been in such a good mood lately.

He's not about to tell Matt that his little plan worked, that he met someone through that site and he's happier now than he's been in a long time. He's not going to admit that his friends were right.

He's not going to, but before he can think of a good retort, the doorbell chimes and Louis walks right into his shop, scanning the space before his eyes land on Nick's. He smiles breathlessly and Nick stares for a long moment, deciding that being right isn't so important after all.

“That's why,” he says, nodding toward Louis standing inside the doorway. Getting up from his seat, he walks toward the boy and leans down to kiss him, still blown away by the fact that he's allowed to do it. “Hello,” he murmurs as he pulls away. “What are you doing here?”

Louis smiles up at him and shrugs. “Got out of work early. Thought I'd come see your shop.”

As Louis' gaze drifts away, looking at his surroundings, Matt coughs loudly from the register. Nick rolls his eyes without looking and kisses Louis' cheek before stepping back.

“Matt, this is Louis. Louis, that's one of the friends I'm trying to replace.”

Louis waves casually, unfazed by Nick's comment, and Matt glares at Nick for a moment before turning to Louis. “So where did you two meet then?” He asks suspiciously.

Nick answers before Louis can even open his mouth. “Starbucks. We met at Starbucks.” Maybe being right is still a _little_ important.

Louis glances to Nick curiously, but nods anyway. “We did, yeah. Gave him shit for ordering a soy latte.”

Trying to put the conversation to an end, Nick leads Louis around the shop, showing him his collection of vinyl records which Louis rolls his eyes at ( _who actually listens to records anymore?_ ) and the section of music-themed merchandise, ranging from funny t-shirts to guitar-shaped pens. By the time they've done a lap around the store, it's closing time and Nick shoos the stragglers out, a couple of teenagers who, of course, don't even buy anything. He lets Matt leave, too, not wanting to be asked any more questions about the new boy in his life.

“So, are you done now or do you have important shop owner things to do?” Louis asks as Nick locks the door behind Matt.

“Just have to get the computers shut down,” Nick assures, moving behind the counter to shut down the register. “It'll only be ten minutes or so, then we can go. Want to get dinner? Or go back to mine?”

As Nick flips the light switch, the shop going dim with only the low security lights still on, he can't help but hope Louis chooses the latter option. It's been two weeks, three dates, and zero orgasms. And that's fine, the kissing is good enough to tide him over, but he does hope orgasms are in the near future.

“I already ate at work, but if you want to, that's fine,” Louis answers, leaning his elbows against the counter on the opposite side.

“No, no,” Nick says quickly. “Not hungry. I'd rather go back to mine. Watch a film or- you know, whatever.”

Louis smirks knowingly and glances down at the counter, running his fingers over the worn wooden surface thoughtfully. Nick sits on the stool behind the counter and turns his attention to the computer, going through the process of shutting the system down. It's a minute before Louis speaks again, softly this time.

“I have to tell you something.”

Nick swallows heavily, his heart skipping a beat because he knows that, even though they've talked a lot and have learned a lot about each other, Louis is still a stranger he met on the internet. Who knows what kind of skeletons he has in his closet.

“Okay,” he says carefully, waiting for whatever it is. Drugs, murder, crime. Maybe Louis is a mob boss. He has that look about him.

Louis takes a deep breath, head down, before he finally looks up and speaks. “So you know how I'm a sociology major at uni, right?” Nick nods. He'd learned that over coffee two weeks before. “Okay, well, I'm doing my thesis on internet dating. I signed up for that site as an experiment to see how it works, basically. It was research.”

Nick tilts his head, ignoring the computer next to him as it fades to black, having finished shutting down. He stares at Louis and tries to understand, hoping that he's wrong and that Louis isn't actually saying he did all this just for a school assignment. He opens his mouth to ask, but no words come out. He feels like a world class idiot.

“Everything I've told you about me is true, though,” Louis says in a rush, nervously biting his lip. “I haven't lied at all except for my intentions in signing up for the site. Also, my friend, the one with the cat? He was at the coffee shop when we met, just in case you were crazy or something. But that's not really a lie. That's just smart internet dating.”

Nick leans back in his chair, digesting this information. At least Louis is who he's said he is. That's comforting, but Nick needs more. He needs to know one more thing.

“So, uh, okay,” he starts, terribly eloquently. “So, this has all been research? Like, not real? I-”

“I like you,” Louis interrupts. “I honestly do and I want to date you. I just wasn't expecting to like you. I thought we'd have one date and I'd never speak to you again. But I liked you and I _like_ you and I wanted to come clean about that because I _do_ want more with you.”

Nick gapes at the boy, putting all of this together. He's not sure if it changes anything, in the end. Yeah, it sucks to know it was fake in the beginning, but if Louis is being honest- and Nick believes that he is- it's been real since they met in person. At some point during that first date it had to have become real.

“Okay,” he finally answers, nodding his head. “Well, I hope you got what you needed? For your research?”

Louis smiles a little, sincere smile and pushes away from the counter, walking around it and stepping right up in front of Nick. He pushes his hands up Nick's shoulders, clasping them behind his neck.

“I got more than I needed,” he says, eyes twinkling even in the dim light. “So do you forgive me?”

Nick isn't sure he needs to forgive him, but he nods anyway. “Course I do. As long as you haven't lied about anything else, you don't need to feel bad or anything.” He drops his hands to Louis' waist and pulls him closer, spreading his legs so Louis can Louis can stand between them.

“I feel a little bad,” Louis whispers, his lips close to Nick's ear. “You could just let me make it up to you anyway.”

Nick feels a shiver run down his spine from the breath on his ear and he bites down on his lip, not wanting to assume anything. But then Louis kisses his earlobe, lips moving slowly down his neck, pressing soft kisses to his skin as he goes.

“What'd you, er, have in mind then?” Nick asks, his throat feeling thick and his skin heating up.

Louis kisses his neck once more, then sinks to his knees in one fluid motion, looking up at Nick with big eyes. “Something like this?” He asks, lifting a small hand to Nick's jeans and rubbing gently over his dick, swelling beneath the fabric.

Nick nearly chokes, but he nods all the same, scooting forward on the stool to lean against it so Louis can reach better. He watches as Louis carefully pulls his dick out, watches as he kisses over the head before swallowing him down. He watches and he curses under his breath as Louis sucks him off right there, the windows close enough that someone could see if they looked hard enough.

“Shit,” Nick breathes out harshly a few minutes into it, his dick achingly hard on Louis' soft tongue. “Thank fuck for that stupid dating site.”

Louis laughs around Nick's cock, the sound muffled, and he slips off to mouth at the head, speaking roughly. “And to think you were going to give all of this up for cats.”

Nick's eyes roll back as Louis takes him in again, lips pulled tight around him, his mouth like fucking heaven. “So much better than cats,” he groans in reply.

Moments later, he's coming into Louis' mouth, watching in awe as he swallows it down, only a dribble escaping from the corner of his mouth. As he catches his breath, he stares down at the boy on his knees before him, grateful for his terrible friends and for Louis' thesis and everything that got the two of them to this moment.

Two weeks, three dates, zero cats, one orgasm. And counting.

As it turns out, Nick is actually a firm believer in internet dating.


End file.
